Discover COPPER

Copper is an eco-compatible and indispensable material.

Contrary to popular belief, the copper industry does not belong to the so-called "old economy", but instead is a leader in modern industrial development and is also one of the main components of the "new economy".

The ancient origins of the use of copper (its first use dates back almost 9000 years ago), should not relegate the red metal as an old product: Today copper is indeed one of the most commonly used materials and it will no doubt be one of the leading materials of the future. Copper components are widely used in computers, electronic devices, cellular phones, superconductors, the Internet, and research and innovation will continue to find new applications for this metal.

The main reasons for this success are:

The unique properties of copper which make it the reference material for a wide range of uses

Its eco-compatibility: Copper is a completely recyclable material and therefore fully "sustainable"

But before copper becomes an essential component in industrial products or everyday consumer goods, it must go through a series of industrial transformations.
Today KME is a worldwide leader in a specific yet essential link of the copper supply chain, that of the production of semi-finished products, or "transformation", which acts as a connection between the production of the metal and the manufacturing of products that incorporate copper.

That role of fundamental connection puts us in continuous contact with a variety of players: Semi-finished copper products are in fact used in a wide range of applications.

The copper industry, with KME at the forefront, is also constantly working with the main users to find ever more advanced ways to use copper products in order to meet future needs.

Discover how our products are all around you by visiting the Industries Supplied section of this site.

PRODUCTION OF SEMI-FINISHED COPPER PRODUCTS

More than 23 million tons of copper and copper alloy products are produced every year (preliminary 2007 data), of which 54% is copper wire and 46% (10.6 million tons) are semi-finished products such as tubes, rolled products, rods and alloy wires.

GEOGRAPHY OF SEMI-FINISHED COPPER PRODUCTS

Europe is the world's largest producer of semi-finished copper products and is second in the way of consumption (after China).